An established practice, extending into the US West Coast by design.
My name is Trevin Sewell. I am a Partner at Smith Legal Search, a national Canadian legal search firm with more than twenty years of combined experience placing lawyers across private practice and in-house roles, including mandates alongside AmLaw 100 firms. My practice runs on long-term relationships, candid market intelligence, and a philosophy that puts fit ahead of speed.
The move into California is deliberate. My wife practiced law in Los Angeles. We maintain a home base in Southern California, and I am in the market regularly and in person. This is a considered geographic extension of work I already do at a high level, not a first attempt at recruiting.
Entering a market the right way means understanding it from the lawyers inside it. I know how to run a search. What I want from California lawyers now is a sharper read on this specific market, so the desk I build here operates at the level you expect from the start.
Firm
Smith Legal Search, a national Canadian firm with an established cross-border track record
Focus
California private practice and in-house, with early emphasis on the lateral market
Presence
Home base in Southern California, available to meet in person on a regular basis
Approach
Relationship-first. No cold volume outreach. No roles that do not fit.
A lawyer's career is not a transaction to be closed, it is a trajectory to be understood. The recruiters who earn a seat at that table are the ones who read the market with precision and tell the truth even when it costs them the placement. That is the standard this desk is built on.
The right questions now beat assumptions later.
I run searches at a high level in Canada, and I am extending that standard into California. Your read on this market sharpens how I operate here. These questions are built for lawyers who track the lateral market closely. No pitch, no obligation, no follow-up unless you request one.
Thank you. Your response came through.
Your perspective directly shapes how this desk gets built. If you left an email, I will be in touch. If not, no follow-up is coming, and that is the deal.
If a conversation makes sense, I am easy to reach.
There is no agenda attached to this page. If something here resonated and you want to talk, about the market, about your practice, about what your next move might look like, I am available. I am in Southern California on a regular basis and happy to meet in person.
If you are not ready for a conversation yet, follow along on LinkedIn. I share BC and US market intelligence, honest commentary on the legal industry, and a perspective on this work that is a little different from what most recruiters put out.
Trevin Sewell
Partner, Smith Legal SearchA recruiter placing lawyers across private practice and in-house roles, with mandates alongside AmLaw 100 firms. I built my practice on candid market intelligence, long-term relationships, and the belief that the right placement matters more than the fast one.
My wife practiced law in Los Angeles. We have a home in Southern California. I am not guessing at this market, I am invested in it.